A Whisper in the Night
by Lily-James4ever26
Summary: Her parents were locked up in Azkaban, her sister deserted her, and it seems her future will be full of heartache. But her new job becomes more than what she expected, and Astoria is desperate to discover the secrets of her lover's past.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_The torrential rain continued to pour from the dark gray clouds in the sky. The chill in the wind seeped so deeply into her body she could not tell whether she was alive or dead. Her heart felt as if it had stopped beating, and it seemed the rest of her body had decided to die along with it. It was pitch black outside, and she could see nothing in the area surrounding her. She knew that it was the night time, and yet she could not tell exactly what time it was; she had stopped caring about the time over three days ago. _

_She lay in the grass, staring at the cloud-filled sky above her. There were no stars visible in the sky, no lights in the darkness, no hope in all of her despair. She closed her eyes with the vain hope that the somber image would be blocked from her mind; it was still there. It was permanently a part of her being, and she knew there was only one thing, one person, who could make her come back to life. _

_A solitary tear leaked from her eye as his face flashed into her mind. After three days of constantly avoiding his memory, her wall crumbled and he blazed back into her thoughts, stronger than ever. Her heart broke again when she realized that he was gone, and he was never coming back, just like all of the other people she had ever cared about._

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Astoria Greengrass opened her eyes slowly and stared at the green hangings surrounding her four poster bed at Hogwarts. She breathed deeply and tried to memorize the feeling of her sheets and the smell of the air in her dormitory. Last night was the last night that she would ever sleep in her bed, and the last night she would ever spend at Hogwarts. Tomorrow she would take the train home and she would never return.

The battle against Voldemort had taken place just a week ago, but to Astoria it felt like it had been much longer since that fateful day. After the battle, the course of her life had changed completely. Astoria's parents had been arrested and taken to Azkaban, and this was something that completely shocked Astoria. Maybe it was completely naïve of her to believe that her pureblooded parents were not involved with the darker side of things, but she had not noticed anything that would have intimated their association with the Dark Lord.

In one week, she had gone from being a girl with friends, family, and a future, to a lost girl with no one left to depend on. Most of her housemates had not returned after the battle, and she had only returned to Hogwarts because her parents had been arrested. She didn't even have her sister to comfort her after all of the recent happenings in the wizarding world; Daphne had been whisked off to another country in the middle of the year, and Astoria was sure she would not see her again anytime soon. She had found the perfect pureblooded husband, and she had deserted Astoria as soon as he asked for her hand in marriage.

Astoria slipped out from under her warm blankets so that she could finish packing her things. As the cold draft circulated through the room, she began to think of what was going to happen to her. She was to be picked up by some distant relatives at King's Cross, and she had a gut feeling that they were not the kindest bunch of wizards she had ever met. Because they lived up in the north, she would be attending Durmstrang Institute in the fall.

After all of her things were packed, she locked her trunk and sunk back onto her bed. She let out a shaky breath and rubbed her temples. She had been worrying about everything lately, especially the uncertainty of her future, and it was giving her a serious migraine. Her reverie was broken when there was a knock on her door.

"Miss Greengrass, are you here?" It was Professor McGonagall. Astoria sat up on her bed.

"I'm here Professor." She replied languidly.

"Please gather up your things and head down to the carriages. They are set to leave for the train in about 15 minutes." Professor McGonagall gave Astoria a fleeting smile as Astoria nodded her head in understanding. The professor closed the door and Astoria let out a heavy sigh. She slowly pushed herself off of her bed and took one last, long look around the dorm that had been her place of rest for the past five years. The faces of the four other girls who had shared the room with her flashed into her mind. They were now only a memory crammed into her mind that she was desperately trying to hold onto.

Astoria took her wand from her pocket and pointed it at her trunk and said, "_Locomotor trunk_." She had decided that it was time for her to leave. She walked slowly through the halls, trying to get one last good look at everything she could. There was a small line of students, less than 50, headed out to the carriages that would take them away from Hogwarts. She walked behind them all, breathing deeply and smelling the fresh air of the Hogwarts grounds. She looked out over the Black Lake, to Hagrid's hut, and even at the Forbidden forest, trying her hardest to burn their images into her memory.

She abruptly stopped walking once she had reached the gates that would lead her out of Hogwarts and into the real world. She turned around slowly to take one last, good look at the castle that had been her home for the past 5 years. She stood there for as long as she possibly could, but she could not linger for she would miss the carriages. She closed her eyes as a tear trailed down her cheek, and she turned to leave Hogwarts; to leave her home, and head out into the vast unknown that was the rest of her life.

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**A/N: This is going to be my version of how Draco and Astoria got together. It's loosely based on _Jane Eyre._ Updates won't be very regular on this story... one word, school. I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy it! If the plot seems a little slow, I promise, it picks up later :]**

**Reviews are appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Astoria stared listlessly out of the large window of her room in Orwell Manor, thinking on how horrible her day had been thus far. Theodora Orwell, who was apparently her great aunt on her father's side of the family, had come and picked up Astoria from King's cross station.

When she first saw Astoria, she had a subtle look of disgust on her face, and it was very apparent to Astoria that her aunt did not like her one bit. She hardly even murmured a welcome to Astoria before she grabbed her arm and apparated her to the manor. She immediately showed her to her room, and said that someone would come up and alert her when it was time for dinner. It definitely was not a great reception.

She was pretty sure that she had some cousins in this house as well; she had a faint recollection of her parents talking about "those two nitwit daughters of Theodora." This memory did nothing to comfort Astoria's growing fear that her time in this house would be very unpleasant.

Astoria unpacked her few belongings and sat down at the window, gazing out at the expansive grounds at Orwell Manor. The grounds were beautiful and well-kept, but she could not escape the forbidding atmosphere that was surrounding her. There was a knock on the door, and a haughty, high-pitched voice could be heard coming through the door.

"Greengrass, dinner is ready, so hurry up and get downstairs. And please, wear something acceptable! We don't want you coming down looking all scruffy!" demanded a voice that was laced with annoyance.

"All right!" Astoria called back. She heard faint whispers on the other side of the door, and then she eventually heard footfalls going down the hallway away from her door. She quickly pulled a skirt and light blue shirt out of her wardrobe, and took her hair out of the messy bun she had out it up in on the train.

She glanced into the mirror to make sure she looked presentable, and she frowned at her reflection. She normally had curly, black hair that ended just below her shoulders and bright blue eyes that could pierce through any person. At the moment, her usually bouncy curls were reduced to lifeless waves and her eyes were cold and dull. After she could no longer look at her reflection, she made her way down the large staircase and into the dining room.

She slowly opened the door and stepped into the elaborately decorated dining room. There was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a long, elegant table was placed in the center of the room. There were three women seated at the table. The two younger girls seated at the table, her cousins, were about her age and had long, waist-length raven colored hair. Her aunt had the same hair, but it was cropped to shoulder length. When they heard her enter, all three of their heads snapped to look at her.

"Come and sit down, child, don't dawdle. We have been waiting for you." Her aunt motioned to the seat across from her two cousins. The pair of them gave her a scrutinizing glance as she sat down in the seat across from them. She kept her eyes down on her empty plate, not wanting to meet their piercing stares. The awkward silence within the dining room was disturbed when a line of house elves entered the room with dinner.

The house elves placed a copious amount of delectable foods on the table, and served each of the women seated at the table. Her cousins and aunt began to eat; Astoria noticed how straightly they sat in their chairs, almost as if there was an invisible pole running up their spines. They ate delicately and very slowly, and Astoria felt as if she was in some foreign land where she did not belong. She moved the food around on her plate, but ate nothing; she wasn't very hungry.

"We didn't have the elves put food on your plate just so that you could play with it." Her cousin to the left said scathingly.

"Just sod off, Aurelia. You haven't eaten much more because of that foolish diet you're on." Her other cousin said, glaring at Aurelia.

"Not all of us want to be fat cows like you, Althea." Aurelia replied with malice. They continued bickering, and Astoria watched in amusement; her aunt, however, was not amused.

"Both of you be silent!" Aunt Theodora demanded in a raised voice. Aurelia and Althea immediately fell silent. "I will not have this quarrelling at my table. I have taught you girls better than that! Now off to bed, all three of you." The two girls got up from the table obediently, and Astoria followed suit. Althea trailed behind Aurelia, and stayed behind to talk to Astoria.

"Sorry about her. She has been an absolute prat ever since we found out that you were coming to stay with us. I'm actually quite happy that you are here; I've been so tired of Aurelia and my mother." Althea revealed. Astoria gave a small smile.

"Thanks. I was afraid I would be stuck here with horrid people all summer." Althea laughed and continued to walk Astoria to her room.

"You should probably get used to the unpleasant people thing; Durmstrang is full of them. I'm just glad that I don't have to go back."

"You've already graduated?" Astoria asked in disbelief; her cousin didn't look any older than 16. Althea shook her head and raised her left hand where an enormous diamond ring rested on her fourth finger.

"I haven't graduated, and I'm never going to. I'm getting married as soon as I turn 17 in the fall, and I won't have any time for school." Astoria looked at her cousin in disbelief. "And now you think I'm horribly old-fashioned since everyone finishes school nowadays." Althea said twirling her ring absentmindedly. Astoria shrugged.

"I completely understand. I would probably be in your shoes if my parents hadn't been taken to Azkaban. My sister, Daphne, basically is you. She left me and went to go marry some bloke because it was 'the proper thing to do.' Now I'm here instead of at home, and I have to go to bloody Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts." She said with a heavy sigh. Astoria's shoulders slumped and Althea wrapped her petite arm around her cousin's shoulder.

"It'll be all right. There are some decent people at Durmstrang, and you're strong. I may not have known you for very long, but I can sense it." Althea said reassuringly. They reached the door to Astoria's room, and Althea gave her a brief hug.

"Go in and get some sleep. Before you know it you'll be out of here and off to the ship to go to school." Astoria nodded glumly and walked through her door, and then quickly closed it behind her.

She quickly changed into her dressing gown and threw herself down onto her bed. Astoria wanted to scream until her throat was sore and just let out all of her frustration, but there was something holding her back. It was most likely the fact that she had found a friend in this house that reassured her that everything would be okay; she had not expected to get along with anyone within the manor.

Her happiness at the thought of Althea was quickly squashed when she realized she was on her own after this summer because Althea was to be married. This fact didn't surprise Astoria because it seemed as if everything in her life was going completely and utterly wrong, and she was beginning to get used to it. Her mother was gone, her father was gone, her sister was gone, and Althea was soon to be gone. There seemed to be a pattern forming in Astoria's life, and she didn't like it one bit.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The summer had been one of the best Astoria could remember, despite the circumstances in which it was spent. Althea and Astoria spent most of their time walking about the grounds and discussing anything and everything they could because Althea was trying to get in as much girl time as possible before she got married and Astoria wanted to get to know her cousin before she was whisked away, just like her sister. Aurelia completely avoided her cousin and her sister all summer long, and she spent most of her time out of the house shopping or hanging out with her friends.

It was currently August 31, and Astoria would be leaving for the ship that would take her to Durmstrang tomorrow. She way laying on the bank of the pond beside Althea, soaking up as much sun as she could before she was shipped up north where it was always cold and overcast. Astoria sighed loudly and Althea looked at her sympathetically.

"You aren't very thrilled to be going, are you?" she asked facing Astoria who shook her head sadly and sat upright.

"Not at all." Astoria roughly plucked a few blades of grass up out of the ground and began to slowly rip them apart.

"I'm so sorry I won't be there for you, and I'm sorry I have nothing to say to comfort you; it's just as bad as you think it is." Astoria laughed bitterly and threw the blades of grass at Althea. Althea smiled sadly and wiped the grass from her blouse.

"Headmaster Packard is absolutely vile, and he pretty much hates anything that has to do with the other wizarding schools, especially Hogwarts. The students are not much better, though there are a very select few who are decent human beings. I don't know how it will be now that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone, but it probably won't change much." Althea said grimly.

"Thanks for the comforting words. I feel oh so much better now." Astoria said falling backward to lie on the grass again.

"Sarcasm is not becoming of a lady, you know." Althea replied with fake arrogance, sticking her nose in the air and adopting her mother's voice.

"Then you are the most unladylike person I know." Astoria grinned at the slightly affronted look one her cousin's face. Althea stuck her tongue out and Astoria and lay back down.

"I'm going to miss you, you know." She stated staring up at the sky. Astoria turned to face her cousin.

"I'll miss you, too. You'll be okay though. Big, strong Skylar Banks will be there to take care of you." Astoria said wiggling her eyebrows at her cousin suggestively. Althea punched her in the arm and Astoria yelped in pain.

"I was being serious."

"So was I." Astoria said with a smirk on her face.

"You are so snarky." Althea stated haughtily.

"I am no- wait, is that even a word?" Astoria asked standing up from the grass. Althea shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, anyway. I should go finish packing, you coming?" Althea nodded and followed Astoria up to her room to help her pack up for the next part of her journey.

The next morning…

Astoria woke up early, not that she had even gotten much sleep the night before. She quickly changed into her breakfast-suitable clothes and made her way down to the dining room. Astoria heard raised voices when she was on the stairwell so she decided to stay put; it was Althea and her mother.

"Mother that's not fair!" Astoria could hear the sadness and pleading in her cousins voice.

"I will not allow it. The Headmaster generously agreed to let her stay. I will not have her in my house any longer." She heard Althea let out an angry scream.

"You cannot do this, it's my wedding! I can't have it without her; she's my cousin, not to mention my best friend!" Althea cried. There was no doubt in Astoria's mind that she was crying.

"You should have made better friends; you should have been more like your sister instead of associating with people like Miss Greengrass. I want nothing else to do with that scum, and she has taken advantage of our hospitality enough. Headmaster Packard is allowing her to stay at Durmstrang year-round until she graduates, as long as she does what she is told. She is neither my problem nor my burden." Theodora said dismissively. Astoria gasped and felt tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. She leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. She knew her aunt was wretched, but this was so unexpected it knocked the breath from her lungs.

"Her name is Astoria, mother! And you can't do that to her, she's family! Whether you like it or not, she's the best friend I have. I never would want to be friends with any of those cows at Durmstrang, especially anyone Aurelia hangs out with." Astoria heard a loud 'smack' coming from the room below.

"My word is final. Go up to your room, I can't stand the sight of you right now." Astoria heard Althea let a sob and then she heard footsteps slowly coming up the stairs. Althea caught sight of her cousin and sat next to her against the wall, and Astoria noticed the red handprint on the side of Althea's face. Astoria wrapped her arms around her best friend as she cried. At some point, Aurelia had walked past them on her way to breakfast, and she flashed them both a smug grin.

"I can't believe my mother. I just can't wait to get out of here." Althea said resting her head on Astoria's shoulder.

"She's kicking me out, and not letting me come to the wedding. Am I right?" Astoria asked bluntly, tears welling up in her eyes. Althea nodded and her arms tightened around Astoria. They sat there on the floor in silence until Theodora called for them; neither of them wanted to ruin their last moments together with the sad truth that they probably would not see each other again for a long time, if they ever saw each other again.

"Miss Greengrass come along, it's time to leave. Blinky will bring your things along, and do not dawdle! We cannot afford for you to be late." Aunt Theodora yelled up the staircase. Astoria turned to Althea and they embraced tightly.

"I will write to you about the wedding and send pictures and everything, I promise." Althea said stepping back from Astoria, who just nodded; she could not manage to form any words. Althea smiled comfortingly at her cousin. "Everything will be all right. Remember, this is not goodbye. I will see you again. Just remember: be safe, be wise, and be strong, just like I know you are." She said confidently, wiping the tears from Astoria's cheeks. Astoria kissed her best friend on the cheek before turning to walk down the stairs and leave with her aunt to go and start all over again at Durmstrang.

Astoria could not believe how massive the ship actually was. She had seen pictures of muggle ships, and even humongous ships from hundreds of years ago, but they were nothing compared to this ship. If she had to guess, she would say that the Slytherin dungeons could have easily fit into the ship 100 times; including the common room and everything. She couldn't wrap her brain around it; it was colossal.

"Stop gaping for goodness sake, child. Let's hurry up and get you settled." Her aunt said leading her towards the ship by the arm. They stopped at an opening near the bottom of the ship, and her aunt stopped there. "Well, here you are. You are to stay on the lower levels because I have not paid an excessive amount of money just for you to go to school. Unlike Hogwarts, everything at Durmstrang has to do with money. It's just like real life. Get used to it." Theodora turned and left without saying one kind word to her niece.

Astoria took a deep breath and pushed her trunk onto the ship. She walked down some of the corridors, and saw that there were many rooms that contained couches and seating areas. They all looked the same, and no one seemed to really be on the train yet, so Astoria picked a spot and collapsed onto an old, worn out couch. She left her trunk on the floor next to the couch, and she lay down. Almost immediately, she fell fast asleep.

Sometime later, a young girl began to shake Astoria, trying to wake her up. "Hey, hello. Wake up. We're at the carriages." Astoria slowly opened her eyes, trying to blink the sleepiness from them. There was a girl with straight brown hair and dark green eyes standing above her. "Come on newbie, get on up. We have to leave."

Astoria sat up slowly. "We're here?" The girl nodded. "What do I do with my stuff?"

"Just leave it here. It always ends up back at school, though I don't know who takes it." The girl said shrugging. "My names Cecilia Donnelly, just in case you were wondering." Cecelia said with a modest smile. "Well, come on, get on your cloak and let's move. I don't think you want to hike all the way up the mountain in this weather." Cecelia said leading Astoria out of the ship.

"The mountain?" Astoria asked. But her question was immediately answered when she stepped foot into the cold air outside of the ship, for in front of her was a massive snow covered mountain. Cecelia led her to one of the carriages; they were nothing like Hogwarts' carriages because they were fully enclosed, and they were not pulled by thestrals. There was a line of these carriages going up the side of the mountain as if they were on an invisible cable. Astoria was completely in awe.

The two girls stepped into the carriage and the door closed behind them. Astoria eagerly pressed her face to the glass and gazed at the mountain scenery that was passing below her. The trees were so infinitesimal, and the snow was everywhere! At Hogwarts one wouldn't see snow until almost Christmas, so Astoria was very excited. She glanced over to Cecelia and saw her gazing out of the window unenthusiastically.

"Have you already become bored with the view? I don't think I would ever tire of seeing this sight!" Astoria said energetically.

"It's not the view of the mountains that I dislike; it's the thought of what awaits me when I arrive at school." Cecelia said dismally, returning her gaze outside of the carriage.

Astoria glanced back out of the window just in time to see the castle on the mountainside. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of it. The castle was at least twice the size of Hogwarts, but it was ten times more threatening. Dark and sinister vibes poured out from the castle in massive waves that washed over Astoria the moment she set eyes on the enormous castle. She was immediately chilled to the innermost part of her being; there was nothing good that would come from stepping into that castle. It astonished her that the feeling of making a new friend could not vanish the coldness from her body; for the first time in her life, Astoria Greengrass was actually frightened.

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**Review Review, pleaseee. I love them. They make me happy :]**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The first few months at Durmstrang were, to say the least, horrible for Astoria. The weather was absolutely wretched, and all of the students were locked up in the castle like prisoners; and that was exactly how Astoria felt. She had not breathed fresh air in months, and she missed it terribly. She missed the fresh smell of the grounds at Hogwarts when she would walk down to Care of Magical Creatures. She missed the sight of the first snow of the year; she absolutely abhorred the torrential snow storms they received at Durmstrang. She missed bewitching snowballs to follow around first years and Professor Snape. She missed her home.

Astoria shared a dorm, if one could call it that, with Cecelia. There were 2 beds, 2 desks, and a tiny fireplace in their room; they didn't even have a wardrobe for their clothing. It was just the two of them together. They were the only girls in their year that were in the lower class dorms, and both of them were glad to be far away from their classmates.

Before Astoria arrived, Cecelia was considered an outsider because of her social status, and also because of her intelligence. They were singled out, not just for those reasons, but because of other things too. Astoria was disappointed when she arrived because she thought that she would have an opportunity at a fresh, new start, but she was not even given a chance. Headmaster Packard made sure of that.

She was singled out during the first two minutes of her first welcoming feast at Durmstrang. The Headmaster made sure everyone knew that she was from Hogwarts, that she was poor, and that he hated her; not that he stated the latter outright. He told the students that they were allowed to help her assimilate to Durmstrang by any means, and that basically meant picking on her every time she did something even a little bit wrong. The Headmaster single-handedly made sure that everyone hated her on her first day, and that everyone had permission to bully her without consequence. The students most certainly took his advice to heart, and Astoria was not sure if she could handle the bullying and malevolent stares anymore.

"Get up." Cecelia said shaking Astoria's shoulder. Astoria just put her pillow over her head.

"No." she mumbled into the pillow.

"Come one! If you miss classes Packard is only going to make it worse." Astoria groaned and threw the pillow at her roommate. "Watch it! I'm only trying to help you, you crazy wench." Cecelia said throwing the pillow back at Astoria.

"I know Celia. I just can't stand it anymore. Even the professors treat me like scum." Cecelia squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"I know how you feel. After all of the things I've done wrong over the years, Packard has had them treat me all the same way they treat you at one time or another. I know I'm not the one who they're giving hell, but just think how much worse it would be without me." Cecelia said with a smug smile on her face.

Astoria opened one of her eyes and looked at Cecelia while squinting. "You are a conceited prat. You know that, right?" Cecelia laughed, and Astoria got out of bed and walked to her trunk at the end of her small bed. She retrieved her uniform, as did Cecelia, so that they could change for classes. Before going into their cramped bathroom to change, Astoria turned to Cecelia and smiled. "I really don't know what I would do without you." Cecelia smiled back as Astoria closed the bathroom door.

"Did you know that we're meeting that new Charms professor today?" Cecelia said to Astoria through the door.

"So Pohlman finally left, huh?" she replied exiting the bathroom.

"Yeah. She couldn't last much longer. She's ancient! I'm pretty sure she's a hundred or more. Packard already had a professor lined up and everything. He knew she wasn't going to finish out the year. I heard the new professor is actually decent." Cecelia said throwing her hair up into a ponytail.

"I hope the new professor is better than Pohlman. Hell, I hope they're better than any of the wicked professors we have this year." Astoria said picking her bag up off of the floor. Cecelia nodded in agreement.

"Let's go grab an apple or something from the dining hall, and go straight to Charms. Thank Merlin we have it first." Cecelia said following Astoria out of the room.

They walked up the stairs and went to the dining hall. They did not stop and talk to anyone, and they each grabbed an apple for breakfast. Eager to meet their new professor, the two girls walked full speed through the dark corridors to get to the second floor for Charms. They arrived early, and sat at the desks in the front of the room. About five minutes later the bell rang and the rest of the class filed into the classroom.

The class immediately was silent when a young brunette woman entered the room. She placed her things quietly on the desk and turned to face her class with a smile on her face, and Astoria nearly died of shock. The professor was actually smiling.

"Good morning everyone. I know it is odd changing professors in the middle of the year, but I hope we can have some fun for the remainder of the year. My name is Addison Riley, but you all are to address me as Professor Riley." She smiled even more brightly, if possible. "Why don't we start off with something easy? Everyone stand up and show me your best Summoning Charms."

The class looked around, perplexed. Was she serious? Were they actually going to practice spells in class? Astoria stood up; she was very excited, for she hadn't really had the chance to practice spells since Hogwarts. "Well, I see we have one participant, what's your name?" she asked.

"Astoria Greengrass." She replied somewhat cautiously; the thought has just occurred to Astoria that Packard may have already gotten to Professor Riley, and that the professor might hate her just as much as everyone else. To Astoria's surprise, the professor did not look the least bit disgusted. She actually looked very curious.

"Well, come on up front and show us what you can do." Professor Riley said with a reassuring smile. Astoria returned her smile and walked up to the front of the room. She held her wand steadily in front of her and took a deep breath as she felt the magic running through the blood in her veins.

"_Accio book_." Astoria said, causing one of her classmate's textbooks to come floating up to the front of the classroom. Astoria smiled triumphantly as her classmates glared at her. Cecelia gave Astoria a silent thumbs up.

"Very well done, Miss Greengrass. You may sit down." She told Astoria, that odd happy smile still etched upon her face. The class period was the most enjoyable class that Astoria had been in since she had arrived at Durmstrang, and time passed much faster than Astoria thought it would. Before she knew it, the bell chimed and it was time to move on to their second period class. Astoria and Cecelia turned to leave, but a voice stopped them.

"Miss Greengrass, would you come here for a second?" Astoria walked up the Professor Riley's desk somewhat slowly. "I just wanted to let you know that you really did a good job today." She then lowered her voice, and a small grin appeared on her face. "10 points to Slytherin." Astoria smiled and turned to exit the classroom. Professor Riley seemed to know more about her than Astoria thought.

The day from that point on passed so slowly it was almost painful. The sneers of her classmates became more malicious as word of her accomplishments in Charms spread throughout the student body. She refused to go to lunch that day, and Astoria had Cecelia pick her up a roll and some cheese from dinner so that she didn't have to go inside the dining hall. Normally, Astoria's absence from dinner would go unnoticed, but not today.

Astoria and Cecelia were in their dormitory when there was a knock on their door. They exchanged confused glances before Cecelia went over and opened the door. Outside in the hallway, with that odd smile on her face, was none other than Professor Riley.

"Professor, what are you doing here?" Astoria asked curiously.

"You didn't show up to dinner, and I was concerned, so I decided to come and check up on you."

"Oh, well, thanks. I'm just fine." Professor Riley looked at her inquisitively.  
"What did you eat for dinner?" Astoria motioned to the bread and cheese on her desk. "That will not do. Why don't the two of you come with me to my quarters? You both need a proper meal." She turned towards the door, but Astoria and Cecelia just looked at her. "Oh, come on. You aren't breaking any rules, and I'll deal with that old bugger if he says anything." Astoria and Cecelia laughed at her comment about the Headmaster and followed her to her room.

When they entered Professor Riley's quarters, their eyes grew wide at how nice her room was. The common room had a large fireplace, a sofa, and an over-stuffed armchair that looked quite comfortable. There were rich green draperies hanging around the windows, and there was only one word to describe the room in Astoria's opinion- Slytherin.

"Well, Professor, it seems your house pride has yet to fade since you left Hogwarts." Astoria said, once again glancing around the room. Professor Riley laughed and sighed.

"Yeah, I guess I'm still pretty proud of my Slytherin background. I loved Hogwarts. Those were the best seven years of my life." She told them while walking back and forth between the common room and her small kitchen. She had placed some chicken, assorted vegetables and a piece of chocolate cake for each girl on the table. The two girls just seemed to stare at the food in a daze, as if they had not realized that it was for them. "Well, go on, eat!" Professor Riley told Astoria and Cecelia. They all laughed, and the girls eagerly dug in to their meal.

After a while, Astoria stopped eating for a moment and asked Professor Riley some questions. "Professor, how did you know who I was?" Professor Riley smiled.

"I knew you would ask after that little fake House Points comment. I'm glad you caught the hint. I was in the graduating class at Hogwarts when you were a first year. I was a Slytherin, of course, and the first Head Girl from Slytherin in a decade. I knew I'd heard your name before, and at first I remembered your sister; you look just like her. Then, I remembered you. You had a temper, and you were quite the little brat in your youth." Cecelia laughed out loud and Astoria blushed. "But, I am happy to say that I see a fine young woman sitting in front of me." Astoria smiled weakly.

"Seeing my fellow classmates die in a war where my parents were the ones on the bad side, being removed from a happy atmosphere and placed into a hostile one, and going from princess to pauper in a matter of months would be a humbling experience for a more spoiled person than I was. Sometimes I miss who I was, but I realize that I am probably better off now; the way I was growing up, I wasn't going to be a very nice person. Yet, most of the time, I don't even see myself and who I am. I'm just lost, Professor." Cecelia had settled down considerable after Astoria's revelation, and Professor Riley took Astoria's hand.

"You will settle into yourself eventually. I am almost 24 years old, and I still wander around aimlessly ninety percent of the time. It's going to be a long and hard journey, but I have a feeling you will be all right; both of you will." She smiled at each of the girls in turn. "One last thing, please call me Addison in private. You make me feel old with all of this 'professor' business." Astoria and Cecelia nodded.

"Well, Miss Donnelly, we all know Astoria's story; what's yours?" Cecelia looked a little apprehensive, Astoria smiled encouragingly.

"Um, I guess I can just tell you about my family. There are three of us, me, my mum, and dad. My dad works at the Ministry in London, which is kind of a hardship because we live so far away, but it's the only job he could get. I haven't always been so destitute, but my mom is muggleborn and she has a muggle disease called leukemia. With only my dad working, it's hard to pay for both Durmstrang and my mum's treatments. She has stopped responding to most treatments, and all of the tests and stuff are very expensive. It's hard, but I'm getting used to it, I guess." Astoria and Addison were both sitting on either side of Cecelia, and when Astoria wrapped her arms around Cecelia, Addison rubbed her back as she cried.

Cecelia had a lot of things going on in her life, and Astoria was glad that Addison was here with both Cecelia and herself because she was the rock that they both needed so desperately in their lives.

Astoria was happy to finally know that there was someone who cared about her, and her well-being. She finally had a sane Professor, and a safe haven from the wrath of Headmaster Packard. Charms class was a place where Astoria excelled, and it seemed that things were finally looking up. Addison Riley was not only a professor, but one of Astoria's closest friends. Astoria and Cecelia spent most of their nights spending time with Professor Riley, and they were both having fun and enjoying themselves for the first time that year.

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**A/N: Reviews are appreciated! I know I don't update regularly, but high school is hectic. Thanks so much for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Christmas time was fast approaching, and pretty much every pupil had returned home for the holidays. Cecelia's family had found a way to get her home for the holidays, so Astoria would be spending them alone. Addison was leaving as well, so Astoria spent her days wandering around the empty castle, and doing things she could not do when her fellow students were at school.

She ate breakfast in the dining hall, alone, every morning while the Headmaster glared at her from the head table. She also read as many books as she possibly could in the library, and she even wandered outdoors to enjoy the snow that was covering the grounds. Astoria knew that she would not be receiving any Christmas gifts, but the freedom she enjoyed while everyone was gone from the castle was as great a gift as anything she could receive in a box.

Christmas came and went, and Astoria had only received one gift; it was from Professor Riley. She had sent Astoria a gold necklace with a star charm on it. Her note read "A star for my star pupil." Professor Riley received the biggest hug imaginable when she returned after the New Year, and, of course, Cecelia did as well. Astoria was happy that everyone was back, even if it meant she could not do the things she did when she was the only student left in the castle. Astoria was glad that everything seemed to be getting back to normal. Astoria did not know that things were far from normal, and that everything that she knew was about to change.

The first day of classes after break was not something that Astoria was looking forward to, but she woke up nonetheless. She knew that this day was going to be pretty bad, but Astoria knew something else was wrong as soon as she woke up. Cecelia was normally awake and getting ready long before Astoria, but on this morning Cecelia was still in bed when Astoria woke up. She walked over to her friend's bed and noticed how labored Cecelia's breathing was; Astoria was getting worried.

"Celia! Cecelia wake up!" She said, shaking her friend's shoulder. Cecelia slowly opened her eyes, and Astoria let out the breath that she did not even notice she had been holding in. "Oi, you scared me."

"I'm sorry. I think I'm just going to skip today. I feel bloody awful. My muscles all feel like I just ran a marathon. It hurts to move and to talk." Her eyelids drooped slightly and she took a deep breath. "I think I'm jus gonna sleep today." Cecelia said, her words were somewhat slurred.

"No way! You stay awake. I'm going to go fetch Madam Plum. You look seriously sick." Astoria made her way to the door. "Don't you fall asleep!" she said before hurrying through the corridors to find the nurse. She found Madam Plum and took her to their room, where Cecelia was fighting to stay awake. Madam Plum took her temperature and did some quick checks over Cecelia with her wand.

"I'm afraid I need to take her to the infirmary. I need to do some more tests to see how serious this is." The nurse said. "How long has she been this tired and lethargic?"

"I don't know. She seemed pretty fine to me when she got back from hols, but now that I think on it, she was a bit peaky a couple days ago." Astoria mentally slapped herself because she had not thought about taking Cecelia to the infirmary sooner. Madam Plum looked a little concerned. Madam Plum levitated Cecelia off of her bed and told Astoria to bring some of her things up to the infirmary. Once Cecelia was settled, the nurse sent Astoria off to classes without one word about Cecelia's condition.

Astoria could not focus in any of her classes, for she had been worrying about Cecelia all day. She grabbed a roll and some fruit from dinner and made her way to the infirmary as soon as she was able. She walked into the infirmary and saw Cecelia lying in one of the beds, staring listlessly at the wall; she was awake.

"Bloody hell, thank Merlin you're awake!" Astoria rushed to Cecelia's bedside and grabbed her hand. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like I fell out the carriage and hit the ground 500 meters below about ten separate times." She said slowly, grinning at Astoria, but Astoria did not smile back.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to go talk to Plum." She walked over to the nurse's office and went in to ask Madam Plum some questions. "Madam Plum," the older woman looked up from the book she was currently reading, "Would you mind telling me how serious Cecelia's situation is? I'm kind of freaking out here." Madam Plum smiled somewhat sadly and motioned to the chair in front of her desk.

"I'm going to tell you exactly how serious this is, because it is serious. I've told Miss Donnelly, and she still is refusing to let me treat her. I'm hoping that you can talk some sense into her." Astoria frowned, and Madam Plum continued. "Miss Donnelly has a severe case of a commonly muggle virus called botulism. She has gotten food borne botulism, and botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin. It can cause serious respiratory problems, and can lead to death if it is not treated. She is at the moment refusing treatment. I most likely will be able to heal her, but she would have to stay in the infirmary for a matter of months."

Astoria managed to utter out a 'thank you' before she left the infirmary. She knew that Cecelia had gotten the illness over the holidays, and that it was probably from something she had eaten that was not properly prepared. It wasn't and illness that people died from in this day and age, but she knew Cecelia was stubborn, and that she would continue to act as such. Astoria needed someone to talk to, so she went to visit Addison.

She walked slowly from the infirmary to Professor Riley's quarters so that she could try to get her thoughts in order, even though she knew that was impossible. As soon as Addison opened the door, Astoria threw her arms around her neck. Addison squeezed her tightly and led her over to the sofa.

"I heard about Cecelia. It's going to be all right. Madam Plum is quite good at her job." She told Astoria while softly stroking her hair.

"Yeah, but how can Plum put her right if she is refusing treatment!" Astoria cried. Addison put her hand on Astoria's forehead gently, but she had a perplexed look on her face as well.

"I think I know why she's doing this." She whispered.

"Why? What possible reason could she have for wanting to die?" Addison shushed her quietly.

"You just answered your own question my dear." The professor replied sadly. Astoria's eyes grew wide in comprehension.

"No!"

"It seems to me that she can't handle it all anymore. Things must have gotten worse at home for her over the holidays. She probably is feeling even worse because her parents can't come and see her. Cecelia figures death is the easiest way out." Addison told her pupil, and tears started making their way down Astoria's cheeks.

"She never acted as if she was this miserable, but I understand, somewhat. I have to try and convince her to take the treatment! She can't die, she just can't!" She buried her face is Addison's neck as the misery of her close friend became her own despair.

She tried many times to convince Cecelia to accept the treatment, but she would not acquiesce. She visited Cecelia in the infirmary everyday for about two weeks, and Cecelia's illness continued to grow worse and worse. One Friday near the end of January, Astoria went to visit Cecelia in the infirmary at night; it was getting harder and harder for her to sleep in their room alone.

Astoria entered the infirmary that night and noticed that Cecelia was still awake. Cecelia's face held a look of pain, and Astoria felt the need to comfort her friend in any way possible. She climbed into the small hospital bed next to Cecelia, wrapped her arms around her friend's thin, frail waist, and laid her head on Cecelia's arm. Tears were flowing from her eyes as she listened to Cecelia's slow, harsh breathing; she could almost feel the pain emanating from Cecelia's body with each breath she took.

"Why won't you fight it? The nurse said in a few months you could be all right, and that with proper care you could be okay." Astoria asked, struggling to keep her voice from breaking up and revealing her worry. Cecelia stroked Astoria's hair calmly, and then placed her cheek on top of Astoria's head.

"I'm tired of fighting. My whole life I've been fighting, whether it is for my family's happiness, against my classmates, or just against the world in general. The odds have been set against me from the beginning, and I'm just tired. This virus is going to beat me, and I don't want to keep fighting. I don't want to spend what could possibly be the last few months of my life restricted to a hospital bed, just because I might be able to get better. I just want this all to be over." Cecelia said softly, and Astoria could feel her tears soaking into the hair on her head.

Even though it killed Astoria, she nodded. "I understand." She heard Cecelia sniffle and then felt her cheek move against her head as her mouth curved into a smile.

"Will you stay with me tonight? The pain seems less severe when you're here with me." Cecelia said. Astoria nodded and she cuddled even closer to Cecelia.

Astoria lay with her head on Cecelia's chest, listening to her harsh, slow breathing, and she fell asleep within minutes. Cecelia was still in pain, but she was comforted by the fact that her best friend was with her that night. Not long after Astoria fell asleep, Cecelia's breathing continued to slow down until she stopped breathing all together.

The next morning, Astoria woke up to find herself in a strange room she had never seen before. The bed was strangely comfortable, and there were green hangings on all four sides of it. She sat bolt upright when she realized the Cecelia was not beside her. She frantically looked around the room, and then she saw Professor Riley sitting beside her bed, with her head in her hands.

"Professor, where is Cecelia?" she asked quietly. Professor Riley looked up at Astoria with tears in her eyes. "Addison, where is Cecelia!?" Astoria cried. Addison Riley sat on the bed and took Astoria's hand.

"She died at about three o'clock this morning." She told Astoria, her voice just above a whisper. Astoria let out a heart-wrenching sob as Addison wrapped her arms around her distraught student. Astoria cried more than she had ever cried before. That day, she did not only cry for Cecelia. She cried for Cecelia, Althea, Daphne, her mum and dad, and she cried because the only thing she felt was pain. She was blinded by pain, she was drowning in pain, and she couldn't see how the pain would ever go away. She cried because, at the moment, it was the only thing that she could do.

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**A/N: Yeah... I bet you didn't see that one coming. I know it's sad, but it was pretty much necessary to the plot. Please continue reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it :]**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

3 years later…

Astoria opened her eyes and saw the familiar green glow created by the hangings surrounding her bed. A weird sense of déjà vu overcame her, when she realized this was her last day of teaching. On this same day about four years ago, Astoria had left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to face the world outside of its walls. Now she was leaving Durmstrang Institute, and she was going off into a world of new things once again.

Following Cecelia's death, Astoria had thrown herself into her schoolwork and essentially blocked the outside world from her mind. She never bothered anyone, and her classmates and teachers even seemed to pity her after her best friend's death. Through all of Astoria's grief, Professor Riley was still constantly present in her life, and she continued to help her excel in Charms. Even though Addison Riley was a teacher, she continued to be Astoria's only confidant.

When graduation came around, Astoria graduated at the top of her class. She had overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, and Professor Riley couldn't help but be proud of her. It seemed to some that Astoria would have a bright future ahead of her, but with no money, and no family to speak of, it appeared, to Astoria, as if there was no hope. That was until she was approached by Headmaster Packard about a job.

_Astoria had already packed up her things and she was ready to leave Durmstrang and board the ship to nowhere. Outside of school there was nothing waiting for Astoria, but she had to keep moving forward, no matter what. She was eating breakfast on the day of departure when the Headmaster approached her. _

_"Miss Greengrass, I have a proposition for you," He stated bluntly; the Headmaster was not someone who was indirect about important things. _

_"What can I do for you, sir?" Astoria asked politely and somewhat curiously. _

_"It seems that Professor Riley has decided that it is time for her to move on to bigger and better things." Astoria stared at him in disbelief; Addison had never mentioned anything to Astoria about leaving. "I know you understand that this leaves us without a Charms Professor for next year." He had a rather vexed expression on his face. "I would like to extend to you the opportunity of being a Professor on my staff next year. Professor Riley personally recommended you, and since you graduated at the top of your class, you seem to be a logical choice for the position." _

_Astoria sat in stunned silence for a moment. __"I would love to be a Professor next year, headmaster!" she replied enthusiastically. Packard gave an apathetic nod. _

_"Very well. Your things will be moved from your current room to a private room in the professor's section of the castle. I'm assuming that you will be staying here for the summer; that is perfectly fine. I am here all summer, but you will have to fend for yourself when it comes to meals. You are free to come and go as you please. Other than that, all I expect is that all of your lesson plans be prepared for next year. Enjoy the rest of your breakfast." He gave her a slight nod and went back up to the head table. __Astoria stared at her breakfast for a moment, and then broke out into laughter. She didn't really know why the situation was funny; she was just so relieved! _

_As the other students stared at her, she continued to laugh and look up toward the ceiling. __"Someone up there must really like me," she mumbled to herself before leaving the hall to go and find her room._

Ever since that day, Astoria had been staying at Durmstrang as a professor. It was essentially just like being a student, except she taught everyday instead of learning. Many of her fellow classmates were very surprised, to say the least, when they saw that she was the new Charms professor. For that reason, it was somewhat hard to earn their respect, but when Astoria unleashed her more Slytherin persona, the students weren't disrespectful for very long. She let them know that she was not to be disrespected, and she was not afraid to hand out detentions if students stepped out of line.

She was quite comfortable in her position at Durmstrang, but she could not help but think that there was more out there in the world for her to see. She often ventured outside of the castle, and went to various villages that were within walking distance of the carriages. These villages were not really anything special, and Astoria longed to see the world outside of the little snow globe that she currently lived in.

In her second year of teaching, once again, someone was looking out for her. Well, not just someone, Addison Riley.

_It was lunch time at Durmstrang Institute, and everyone was in the dining hall enjoying their meal. Astoria loved sitting at the Head Table with the rest of the professors because she could see all of the students; people watching was one of her favorite pastimes. She picked up her turkey sandwich as the owls flew in to deliver the mail to the students and staff. Astoria smiled at the happy faces of the students as they received letters and packages from home. _

_Astoria normally did not receive post, but today a familiar owl was flying toward her. She smiled as Addison Riley's owl, Cracker, dropped a letter into her lap. Addison was the only person who sent her mail and it was not very often. The few times Astoria did receive an odd letter from her, it was only because of a special occasion or holiday. Astoria picked up the letter and opened the envelope slowly. The first thing she noticed was what looked like an add for a job that had been cut out from the Daily Prophet. She glanced at the add, but decided to read Addison's letter first. _

_  
_Dear Astoria,

I hope that all has been well at Durmstrang, and that nothing significant has occurred since my last letter! I know that the school year is drawing to a close, and I have been thinking about you a lot lately. I was reading the Daily Prophet the other day when I came across an add for a job to tutor a young boy, and I immediately thought of you. You did so well in school, in all areas, and I'm pretty sure would do well with this opportunity.

I already sent out your resume to the gentleman and I have already heard back from him. I know that this might be somewhat of a shock, and I really don't mean to impose, but I know that you have got to be getting sick of Durmstrang now. You would be living at the house and helping the boy prepare for going to school, most likely Hogwarts, in the next few years. It's a somewhat of a long-term commitment - the next six years at least – but I think you will enjoy it.

On the Monday after Durmstrang has finished school, someone will be at the bottom of the mountain waiting for you. They will take you to your new job. I know this a new experience for you, but I know that you will be and extremely apt tutor. If you strongly object to this, I understand, but I really think you should give it a try. You have such great natural skill when it comes to teaching, and there is no reason for you to be apprehensive. I am always just a Floo or an owl away, whenever you need me.

All my love,  
Addison

_Astoria stared at the letter before letting it fall to the table slowly. A rollercoaster of emotions flashed through Astoria in a matter of seconds. She felt happiness, nervousness, anger, fear, surprise, joy, and gratitude all in the same moment. _

_She honestly did not know what to feel. _

_Through her mixture of emotions, Astoria decided that she was excited and anxious for this new job. Truthfully, she was getting tired of life at Durmstrang, and she was quite ready to take a step forward in her life. She smiled internally as she slowly got up from the breakfast table. She exited the dining hall and made her way to the Headmaster's office, prepared to meet her future head-on. _

So here she was, ready to leave somewhere sheltered and head off to a new place, once again. Her packed trunk was levitating beside her as she made her way down to the carriages that would take her away from Durmstrang. To Astoria, leaving Durmstrang was not as hard as leaving Hogwarts; Durmstrang was hardly a place with happy memories, much less a home. She did not even look back to glance at the place that held so much heartache for her, opting to keep going forward.

Astoria glanced out of the carriage and gazed at the green foliage that covered the mountainside. She remembered how enchanting the view had seemed on her first ride up to the castle, yet, in her mind, the spectacle below her did not seem as beautiful as it had once been. It was as if Durmstrang had poisoned landscape, and all her memories from the castle seemed to leak out onto the mountainside. Astoria realized that every part of her life, from her time at Durmstrang onward, would be tainted by the time that she had spent within the castle.

She slowly ran her hand through her limp black locks and stepped out of the carriage as it reached the dock at the bottom of the mountainside. Looking around, Astoria could not see anyone waiting for her. Addison had told her that someone would be here when she had arrived, yet here she was all alone. She was going to go and sit down when she heard a squeaky voice call out from behind her.

"Miss Greengrass!" She looked around and saw no one.

"Miss Astoria Greengrass! Oh, Pokey is waiting such a long time for Miss." Her head immediately snapped downward where she was met with a pair of round, green eyes. "Come now, Miss. We really must be going. Master is waiting for Pokey, oh yes." It was a house elf! Someone had sent a house elf to fetch her from Durmstrang; that was rather odd, at least in Astoria's opinion. She glanced down at the big, green eyes once again.

"Well, all right. Let's go," She said. Pokey smiled at Astoria and took her big hand in his little one.

"Hold on tight to your bags, Miss. You and Pokey will be at Master's house soon." She grasped her bag tightly as she felt the constricting sensation of Apparition. They reappeared in front of one of the biggest houses Astoria had ever seen; it even rivaled Orwell Manor.

"Master says to Pokey that Pokey is supposed to take Miss to the front of the manor," Pokey said as he started walking up a pathway that led through the grounds and up to the huge double doors at the front of the mansion. Astoria levitated her trunk beside her as she followed the house elf, all the while glancing around at her surroundings. The landscape was beautiful, not to mention very expansive. She knew that there was a garden somewhere, and made a mental note to go and look for it as soon as she got settled.

Deep inside, Astoria had a feeling that she had been here before. She could not quite put her finger on who lived here, but Astoria had a feeling she had known him or his family at some point. She was curious as to whom she was working for, but she wasn't really worried. She knew Addison would not send her anywhere dangerous, and that Addison most likely omitted the information about her employer to increase suspense. Astoria silently shook her head; only Addison would do something so sneaky and unnecessary.

When they reached the front doors, Pokey opened them and led Astoria inside the massive house. It was a bit bigger than Orwell Manor, but not much. The biggest difference between this home and Astoria's aunt's house was that this house was much less menacing. The interior was well lit, and many pictures were smiling at her from the walls. Pokey was in front of Astoria, and he motioned for her to follow him. The small house elf brought her into a large sitting area and had her sit down in an armchair.

"Master is on his way, Miss." Pokey left Astoria alone in the sitting room. She sat quietly in the chair while wringing her hands nervously. She grew even more anxious when she heard voices from outside the room.

"Why do I need a tutor? Why can't you just teach me, Dad?" she heard what sounded like a young boy ask.

"I'm not here often enough to teach you. I have to work, you know that, Scorpius. Your tutor is in the parlor waiting, and I know you will like her. So just behave, please." The man's voice sounded familiar to Astoria, though she could not exactly put her finger on where she had heard him before. Slowly, the door opened and a small blonde boy stepped through the door; he had a very prominent scowl on his face. Astoria knew that he wasn't excited about having a tutor, but she smiled brightly at him as he slowly walked over to where she was seated. He looked uneasy, but he seemed to be calming down a bit.

"Hello. What is your name young man?" She asked him even though she had heard his father say his name only seconds ago.

"Scorpius," he replied very coldly. She could tell he was still annoyed with his father.

"That is not an acceptable tone to take with your teacher, Scorpius," a deep voice said from the door. Astoria turned to greet her new employer with a kind smile, but as soon as she saw him leaning against the door frame, her smile faded from her lips.

When Astoria saw Draco Malfoy standing at the door, she did not know whether to thank Addison profusely or never speak to her again.

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**A/N: I just realized that part of this chapter was really hard to read... I edited it. So, here's the better version :]**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Malfoy Manor, and the Malfoy family for that matter, was in its prime. The expansive grounds were well-manicured, and the interior of the house was kept immaculate by an army of house elves. The proud family of three could not be happier. Draco would be attending Hogwarts in the fall, and Narcissa was ecstatic; Lucius still harbored bad feelings toward Dumbledore, so he was not as enthused as she. _

_The manor was filled to the brim and bursting with activity. Lucius and Narcissa had invited their friends over who had children that were going to be in Draco's class. The Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Parkinson, and Greengrass families were all in attendance. The adults were seated in the garden where the screaming and laughing of the children playing could be heard. But there was one young girl who was clinging tightly to her mother instead of playing with the others. _

"_Astoria, darling, why don't you go play with the others? The adults have some grown-up things to talk about," Evangeline Greengrass asked her nine-year-old daughter. _

"_Mum they're so much older than me! They'll pick on me. Daphne told me she would let them!" Astoria looked absolutely horrified at the suggestion of leaving her mother's side. Narcissa smiled comfortingly at Astoria and reached her hand out to the young girl. _

"_Come on. I'll have Draco make sure they treat you right." Astoria glanced at Narcissa warily. Narcissa was not bluffing about Draco, though; she knew the unchallenged sort of power that Draco had over the other children. He was a Malfoy after all. Astoria took Narcissa's hand and the woman led her to where the other children were playing. _

_When the duo reached the older children, they saw quite a scene. Pansy Parkinson was repeatedly hitting Gregory Goyle while the other kids were watching and laughing; all except Draco. He had a small smirk on his pale face. _

"_Greg. You. Are. Such. A. Prat," Pansy said in between punches. Narcissa did not know what happened, and she was not sure she wanted to know. Narcissa told Astoria to stay where she was before she walked over to Draco._

_She was greeted with a chorus of, "Hi, Mrs. Malfoy!" She bent down and whispered in Draco's ear before he got up off of the grass and followed her to where Astoria was hiding behind a bush. Narcissa gave Draco a slight nod before she left to go back to the other adults. _

_Astoria was staring at the ground when Draco placed his hand on her chin and lifted her face to look at his. He smiled at her reassuringly, but she could not smile back because she was still worried. "Come on, Astoria, you'll be fine. No one is going to tease you, you're with me." He talked in a fake voice that was an octave lower than his normal voice. Then he puffed out his chest exaggeratedly, trying to make himself look tough. He looked and sounded absolutely ridiculous. Astoria couldn't help but giggle. _

"_That's better." His chest deflated and his voice was back to normal. "But, in all seriousness, you'll be okay. I will make sure that no one messes with you, not even Daphne. She's being even more annoying than Pans today anyway."_

"_She's annoying everyday," Astoria mumbled, causing Draco to laugh. _

"_Can you keep a secret, Astoria?" Draco asked. _

"_Sure I can." He leaned over and whispered into her ear. _

"_I like you much more than your sister." Astoria blushed furiously, but she had a smile on her face. Draco smiled kindly at her once more before taking her small hand in his and leading her over to his friends. They all looked warily at Draco, but no one said anything. Daphne glared at her sister, but she, too, was silent._

_Astoria sat next to Draco for the whole evening, laughing when Pansy would thump Vince or Greg for being 'prats,' frowning when they would talk about leaving for Hogwarts in the fall, and smiling whenever Draco would squeeze her hand and flash a smile in her direction._

Astoria buried her face in the fluffy pillows on her opulent bed in her more than amazing room. Draco Malfoy. Bugger times a thousand. What in Merlin's name was Addison thinking?

Astoria sighed loudly and rolled around in her bed. She knew that Addison didn't know about her up and down history when it came to Draco. Even though it was more down than it was up. And, in all fairness, she didn't even think one could call what she and Draco had a 'history.' She had some good memories of him, but from the time she turned eleven and came to Hogwarts she was invisible to him. It was as if she didn't even exist.

She had been to Malfoy Manor twice that she could remember, once when she was five and once when she was nine. Daphne had gone a few times when Draco had get-togethers for his friends, but Astoria was too young to be included in that group. She had faint memories of times when he was kind to her, but they were all in the past. He had been too involved in other things when he got to Hogwarts. He had Quidditch, prefect duties, and later on he had to deal with his family's issues and Voldemort. Not to mention his ongoing antagonism toward Harry Potter. Astoria just faded into the background.

She was still exceptionally grateful for the job; anything was better than Durmstrang. She outwardly flinched at the name of the school, and images flashed behind her eyelids that she would rather not remember. She flopped over like a fish out of water before screaming into her pillow for the hundredth time that night.

Once Astoria grew tired of staring aimlessly at the wall, she decided that some hot chocolate might be able to calm her down a bit. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was after one a.m.; no one would be up this early. She threw on her dressing gown before silently making her way down to the kitchens. She was almost completely enveloped in darkness outside of her room, but the little moonlight shining through the windows helped her find her way.

She tiptoed into the kitchen and found one lone house elf that was awake, and she deduced that the rest of them must be sleeping. The small female elf hopped up enthusiastically from the stool where she was sitting. "What can Pippy get for Miss?"

"Would you mind making me some hot chocolate, Pippy?" Astoria asked kindly.

"It's no trouble at all Miss Greengrass! Pippy will do it right away." Astoria settled down on one of the stools at the counter and watched Pippy bustle around the kitchen quickly. In less than a minute, Astoria had a hot cup of chocolate placed in her hands. She took a large sip and sighed. It tasted heavenly.

"Thank you so much, Pippy. It is really wonderful." Pippy smiled brightly before she began working again. Astoria had no clue what the elf was doing, and she knew better than to ask. Astoria leaned against the counter and sipped her hot chocolate, savoring every sip. She slipped into a dreamlike state, her mind wandering off to only Merlin knows where.

Astoria jerked back into consciousness when she heard maniacal laughter ring down the stairwell. The kitchens were at the bottom of the back stairwell that led all the way up to the house elves' quarters on the third floor. The laughter sounded as if it were coming from far away, so Astoria it assumed it was coming from the third floor. When the laughter didn't stop after a few minutes, Astoria decided to head back up to her room; that evil laughter sent chills up and down her spine.

Astoria nearly ran to her room; she had been sufficiently creeped out for one night. She opened her door quickly and closed it slowly so that she wouldn't make any noise. All though she tried not to make noise with the door, she had to clap her hand over her own mouth to stop herself from screaming when she saw someone in her bed. She let out a relieved sigh when she noticed that it was Scorpius. She walked over to try and wake him up; why was he here?

She walked over and gently sat next to his curled up form on the bed. "Scorpius." She whispered, but he didn't even stir. She placed her hand on his soft blonde hair and rubbed her thumb across his forehead tenderly. "Scorpius, wake up." She whispered a bit louder. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing his bright blue eyes that were so different from his father's cold grey. He looked around for a moment before a sad expression settled onto his face.

"I'm so sorry I fell asleep, I didn't mean to, honest." His voice was still a little groggy, yet the worry came through in his words strongly. "I just heard you leave, so I came in here to wait so that I could talk to you." He sounded very upset.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad. Just relax and tell me what's wrong." She grasped his small had in hers and smiled at him. He let out a small breath.

"I'm sorry I was so mean earlier. I just… I'm used to it being me and dad all the time. And now I have to actually learn stuff, and that means I have to stay here, even when he goes on trips. I used to always go with him and I didn't mean to be so mean to you. I'm really normally nice, everyone says so. That's why dad would take me, because I was such a good kid. But I really am sorry." He let out a sniffle, and Astoria saw tears leaking down his cheeks. She wiped them away with her thumbs before gathering him up in a hug.

Scorpius reminded Astoria of Draco when he was younger, and not just because of his looks. Draco used to be so sensitive and kind. He may not have been good at showing remorse like Scorpius, but she assumed that Scorpius got that from his mother. Draco had too much pride for his own good. She tried not to think of how much Draco had changed from when they were children, so she instead focused on Scorpius.

He had stopped crying, or at least the tears had stopped. She looked down and her ice blue eyes locked with his. "Do you want me to take you to your room? Just tell me the way." He shook his head and yawned.

"No, I can go myself. Don't worry about me." He tried to stand up, but Astoria caught him as he swayed slightly.

"Okay, big guy, you just get in under those covers right there." She pointed to her bed.

"Where will you sleep?" He asked groggily, his eyes fighting to stay open.

"I will sleep on the sofa." She told him. He shook his head.

"Don't go."

"I meant here in my room, silly. I'll be right over there." His eyes closed, and she placed a light kiss on his forehead. He smiled and curled up into a ball before drifting off to sleep. Astoria took a pillow and some blankets from the huge bed before settling down on the couch.

She watched Scorpius sleep peacefully for a while. She wished that she could trust people as easily as the sweet, five-year-old boy on her bed. She wished she could have the naivety and the innocence back that she had long since lost. Decisions were so much simpler in a world of black and white, good and bad. Life was so much happier before things got complicated. Living was so much more effortless when your world wasn't tainted with horrors of the past.

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**A/N: I'm still alive, and I apologize for the ridiculous wait. The end of the school year was ridiculously stressful, and school comes before everything else. For at least the next three weeks I will update once a week. Depending on whether or not I get a job, I will be trying to finish up this story within the next two months. I have my senior year of high school coming up, and I know that it is going to be crazy. I will try to get this story finished ASAP. **

**Thanks so much to everyone who is still reading this story. I hope you like this chapter. Reviews are appreciated immensely :]**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A strange thumping noise rang throughout the air in Astoria's room. She opened her eyes to see if she could find the source of the noise. She smiled when she saw Scorpius jumping up and down on her bed, a carefree smile on his face. His cheeks were flushed, and he had a serious case of messy bed hair.

"Didn't your father ever tell you that you're not supposed to jump on the bed?" Startled by Astoria's voice, Scorpius's feet slipped out from under him and he fell flat on his back on the bed. Astoria walked over to the side of the bed and gazed down at Scorpius with a stern look in her eye. He flashed her a crooked grin that made her anger and worry melt away. How could this young boy have such an effect on her after less than twenty-four hours?

"Sorry?" The grin was still on his face, and Astoria smiled back.

"You're forgiven. Just don't do it anymore, got it?" He nodded and rolled over off the edge of the bed, landing agilely on his feet.

"I'm hungry," he told her.

"Well, then let's go down to the kitchen and fetch some breakfast. Does that sound good?" He nodded enthusiastically and reached for Astoria's hand. She smiled and took his small hand in hers as he led her down the hallway; he definitely knew his way around better than she did. They entered the kitchen and were greeted by three house elves.

"Good morning young Master Malfoy and Miss Greengrass!" The most eager of the group, Pokey came up to Astoria and Scorpius. "What would young Sir and Miss like for breakfast?"

"Eggs!" Scorpius answered. "I love eggs. They're my favorite," he whispered to Astoria, his bright, blue eyes twinkling. Once again, Astoria wished she could be so easily content.

"And we'll have some toast and pumpkin juice as well," she told Pokey before he left to bustle around the kitchen to gather their breakfast. Astoria and Scorpius sat on the chairs that were by the kitchen counter.

"So, Scorpius, is your father still asleep?" She asked, genuinely curious; she had never known Draco to sleep so late. It was almost ten o'clock. Scorpius shook his head.

"Nuh-uh. He's real busy on Sunday. I dunno what he does, but he never gets home 'til it's dark. Normally grandma or grandpa comes, but you're here now!" Astoria's chest constricted at the mention of Lucius and Narcissa, but she pushed the thoughts away and focused on Scorpius.

"Since it's just you and me today, how about you show me around the manor a bit?" Scorpius's face lit up.

"Okay!"

He told Astoria about all the places around the manor throughout breakfast. Astoria smiled at how talkative and intelligent he was. He acted and seemed more like an eight or nine-year-old, not a six-year-old boy. She could not wait to see how well he would do with the schoolwork that she had planned for him.

After finishing their breakfast, Astoria and Scorpius both went to their rooms to change their clothes for the day. Astoria went and helped Scorpius pick out his clothes. It was a good thing she did, because he would have looked ridiculous in the clothes he wanted to pick out for himself.

"I want to wear the jumper, Miss Astoria!" Scorpius was hell-bent on wearing a thick, polka-dotted wool jumper, even though it was close to 80 degrees outside. He was also fighting to be able to wear his Quidditch robes, which weren't that bad on their own, but he wanted to wear them with the jumper. He was so stubborn Astoria just wanted to bang her head against the wall. Maybe he was a bit more like Draco than she thought.

"Okay, how about a compromise. You wear the shorts and shirt that I picked out for you and you can wear your Quidditch robes as well. Deal?" She proposed to Scorpius. She could not believe she was arguing with a six-year-old about clothes. He looked at her questioningly for a moment, but then nodded his head.

"Fine. I guess that will be okay." He took the clothes off of the bed.

"I'll be right back. I need to go put on my clothes. Now, put those clothes on and then go brush your teeth. And if I see you wearing that sweater when I come back, we're going to have a problem, my boy." He nodded, looking a little taken a back. Astoria exited the room to go and change her clothes.

She put on a flowy brown skirt that reached just past her knees and a short-sleeved, button up blouse. She tied up her wavy, black hair and brushed her teeth as well. After slipping on a pair of trainers she went back to Scorpius's room. He was seated on his bed with all of the correct clothes on, and Astoria smiled.

"Where to first?" Scorpius hopped off of the bed and stood next to Astoria, grabbing her hand. It somewhat astounded Astoria that he seemed so sensitive and expressive, while Draco was so standoffish and restrained. She had a gut feeling it was Narcissa's grandmotherly affection that had made him so kind.

They decided to start at the kitchen and work their way up through the manor. Astoria asked Scorpius about what was up the staircase behind the kitchen. The staircase from whence the maniacal laughter had come the night before. He shrugged.

"I dunno. Only Libby, one of our oldest house elves, can go up there. Dad never let's me go. Weird noises and stuff are up there, I've heard them." His voice faded into a whisper at the end.

"I've heard them, too, don't worry. How about we move on?" She decided not to dwell too much on what may be up the staircase; this was Malfoy manor, after all. He nodded and led her around the underground section of the manor. He showed her the house elves' quarters and the entrance to the dungeons, all though he did not know they were dungeons. The large, imposing wooden doors confused Scorpius, but Astoria knew exactly what they were.

"Dad won't let me in there," he said pointing to the wooden doors, "But I'll figure it out."

After that, the pair wandered around the first floor. Scorpius showed her the various parlors, the two dining halls, and the massive ballroom. A faint picture of witches and wizards in opulent robes, dancing and laughing flashed through Astoria's mind. She remembered looking up at the beautifully dressed women and men, asking her parents if she could stay a little longer. Astoria was pulled from her memory by Scorpius tugging on her skirt.

"Are you okay?" she nodded.

"Come on; let's head up to the second floor."

They wandered past the drawing room, an office, their bedrooms, and a few sitting areas before they reached a set of double doors. Astoria wondered what was beyond them. "What's in there?" she asked.

"It's the library, of course!" Astoria's eyes grew in surprise. She had completely forgotten to ask where the library was. This was where she would be teaching Scorpius everyday, and where they would be spending most of their time. This was also bound to be Astoria's favorite room in the house. They pushed open the double doors and she gasped at the sight before her.

There were shelves and shelves of books, filling the room from wall to wall. The library was at least the size of the huge ballroom downstairs, if not larger. There were chairs and desks spread out among the shelves, and the sun was spilling in through three large windows on the wall opposite the door. Astoria could not lift her jaw off of the ground.

With Scorpius still gripping her hand, she ran her fingers along the spines of the books on the shelf closest to her. She could not believe how extensive this library was. Anything she would ever need to teach Scorpius was within these walls. The only problem would be finding the correct books to use as curriculum amongst the massive collection on the shelves. She stopped ogling the books when Scorpius tugged on her skirt again.

"When can we eat lunch? I'm hungry." Scorpius asked.

"I'm so sorry! Let's go eat now. You must be starving; it's nearly 1:30!" Astoria and Scorpius headed down to the kitchens where Pokey tended to them, once again. He brought them some turkey sandwiches and a glass of milk each. Once they had finished the sandwiches, Pokey bought out some pumpkin pasties, much to Scorpius's delight.

"I love pasties! They're my favorite, too," Scorpius informed Astoria with a giddy smile on his face. "Can we go outside next? I think you'll like all the pretty flowers outside. They will be _your _favorite." Astoria nodded and smiled. She had been waiting to see the gardens since she first arrived.

Once they had both finished their lunch, they left through the back doors to head out into the garden. There were enormous rose bushes, along with flower beds containing many exotic flowers Astoria knew were growing with magic. There was some lawn furniture set up in the center of the garden where Astoria remembered sitting with her mother and the other adults. This made Astoria wonder if it was still there.

"Scorpius, is there a big hammock hanging around here somewhere?" He smiled and dragged Astoria around another cluster of rose bushes. A hammock hung in mid air, obviously by magic.

Astoria remembered piling onto the hammock with Daphne and her friends when they were younger. She remembered being squished in between Draco and Blaise, while sharing the hammock with Pansy, Daphne, Vince, and Greg as well. They had all screamed and laughed while trying to fit on the hammock comfortably, which was an impossible feat. A smile made its way to her face despite the constricting in her chest.

Scorpius ran over to the hammock and jumped on. He laid in the middle, hardly taking up any room on the massive hammock. He let out a loud yawn and glanced at Astoria with lidded eyes. "Someone looks like they need a nap, and I think I do, too. Budge over," she told him. He moved over to one side of the hammock, making room for Astoria to lie down.

She lay on the hammock, resting her head against the soft cloth and closing her eyes. She felt the hammock move, and she opened her eyes when she felt a small, warm body cuddle up to her side. Scorpius had laid his head on her stomach and wrapped his small arms around her middle. She stroked his blonde hair before wrapping one arm around him and closing her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

A chilly wind was blowing in the garden as the sun set. Astoria felt her consciousness return, but she did not open her eyes. She felt the steady rise and fall of Scorpius's breathing next to her, and she knew he was still asleep. She had to get him out of the cold air. Realizing how late it must be for it to be chilly outside, she opened her eyes. Darkness had enveloped the garden.

She did not want to wake him up because he looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. She decided to let him sleep for a while longer. She looked down and noticed that he had some of her shirt bunched up in his small fist. His mouth was open, and there was a stain on her shirt from where he had drooled on her. She had to stifle a giggle. He acted much more his age when he was asleep.

She glanced around the garden, seeing the flowers in the moonlight. Her heart stopped, and she nearly screamed, when she saw a figure standing by the bushes. She placed her hand on her chest, trying to steady her rapidly beating heart. She noticed that the figure had unmistakable white-blonde hair. "Draco?" she asked.

He walked toward her, his face becoming more distinct as he moved closer. He had an indecipherable look on his face, and he did not say anything; he stood and looked down at Astoria and Scorpius. Astoria rubbed the remnants of sleep from her eyes before speaking to Draco.

"I'm sorry we're out here so late, you must have been worried. We fell asleep out here earlier." He continued looking between her and Scorpius, unblinking. "What time is it?" She asked warily. He finally reciprocated.

"It's nearly seven." Astoria could not believe that they had slept for five hours. "I think it's time to head inside. I'll take him in." Draco reached down to pick up Scorpius, but when he tried to lift the boy from the hammock, he just tightened his hold on Astoria's shirt. Draco looked perplexed.

Astoria gently pried Scorpius's fingers from her shirt and handed him over to his father. The young boy's blue eyes flew open as soon as he was in Draco's arms. He looked frantic for a moment before his eyes rested on Astoria. He calmed down even more when he realized he was in the arms of his father. After receiving a sweet smile from Astoria, Scorpius's eyes closed and he snuggled deeper into his father's embrace.

Together, they walked Scorpius back into the manor and into his room. Draco quickly changed him into his nightclothes and laid him in his bed. Scorpius groggily opened his eyes and called to Astoria. "Miss Astoria?"

She came over and sat lightly on his bed. "Goodnight, Scorpius. You start learning tomorrow, are you excited?" He nodded sleeping and reached for her hand, as had become his habit. She squeezed his small fingers before kissing him lightly on the forehead. "Goodnight."

"Night," he whispered. She stood up from the bed and faced Draco.

"Wait in the hallway for me, if you would please," Draco asked her. She nodded and quietly exited the room and stood outside of the door anxiously. A few minutes later, Draco exited Scorpius's room. He looked at her with a hint of anger in his eyes.

"In the future, I would appreciate it if you would have my son back in the house at a more decent time. I don't want him catching sick, understood?" She gaped at him before nodding. "Good. You will start his lessons promptly at nine tomorrow morning. Don't disappoint me."

He turned from her without a backward glance and stalked down the corridor. He ran his fingers through his hair before entering his room and slamming his door. Astoria could not figure out why he continued to be so cold toward her. Deciding not to ponder this peculiarity any longer, she retreated to her room, a restless sleep all that lay before her.

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**A/N:** **I'm sorry... this was kind of a filler chapter. The real action will begin soon. Please leave me a review :]**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Astoria opened her eyes and glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It said that it was two in the morning. She groaned and buried her face in her pillow. The insomnia was wearing her down, and she was tired of being so exhausted all of the time. She decided to head down to the kitchens for hot chocolate with the vain hope that it would help her fall asleep.

She trudged through the moonlit halls, just as she had the night before. The silence somehow seemed more eerie than it was previously, so Astoria hurriedly made her way down the stairway into the kitchen.

As soon as Pippy noticed Astoria enter the kitchen, she hopped up and enthusiastically tended to Astoria. "What can Pippy get for Miss tonight?"

"Would you mind getting me some hot chocolate, Pippy?" Astoria asked, even though she knew that the house elf would not deny her anything. Pippy nodded and immediately went to work making Astoria a hot cup of cocoa.

When it was done, she accepted the cup gratefully and settled into her chair as Pippy bustled around the kitchen. Astoria listened closely to see if she could hear the same laughter she had heard previously, but all she could hear was Pippy. Silence descended down the stairwell, nothing more. Once the hot chocolate had taken its toll, Astoria slowly made her way up to her room.

When she entered the corridor containing the bedrooms, she was surprised to see light coming from underneath Draco's door. It was unusual though; the light seemed to flicker, and it was not the color of light from a wand or a lamp. She walked toward his bedroom to investigate. As she got closer, she felt heat coming from the door. She tried to open the door, but found that it was locked.

"Draco! Wake up! Open the door!" She continued yelling for a moment before realizing he was either still asleep, or too injured to move. She threw herself against the door in hope that it would open, but instead it seemed to implode into his room. Thank Merlin for sporadic magic.

She ran into the room and saw that the curtains hanging around Draco's bed were in flames. He was still in the bed, and it was quickly becoming engulfed with the fire. When she noticed his wand on his bedside table, she grabbed it and cast Aguamenti charms nonverbally; it was faster that way. After the fire had been subdued, she immediately went to his side.

There were burns along the left side of his body, and she was relieved that they were minor and could be easily healed with proper magical care. Nearly all of the hangings around his bed were burned beyond recognition. Draco was lucky he was not hurt worse.

She was internally debating whether or not to wake him up when she heard a small moan escape through his lips. He scrunched up his face in pain, and wiggled on the bed as if he was trying to move. "Don't move." She spoke softly. He opened his eyes in alarm, and questioned her nonverbally.

"Somehow, you were on fire. I was coming upstairs from the kitchen when I saw the light coming from under your door." He motioned toward the wand in her hand. "I used it to put out the fire. I didn't have mine on me at the time." He nodded slowly and tried to sit up. Astoria moved to stop him.

"Don't. I'm fine." He sat up and leaned against his headboard, wincing in pain. "Go and get your wand, please." Without asking any questions, Astoria went and retrieved her wand from her room. She re-entered Draco's room and found him painfully flexing his fingers, arms, and legs, checking the extent of his injuries.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"I've had worse." He did not elaborate, and Astoria felt curious and scared as to what could have been worse than burns over half of your body. She did not bother to ask him, for she knew he would just brush her off. "Can you go call Libby for me? She will be able to fix me up quite well. And make sure Pippy takes over Libby's normal duties, please."

Astoria quickly found Pippy, and told her everything that had happened. The house elf let out a small squeak and hurried to find Libby. Libby met Astoria in the kitchen and the two of them quickly made their way up to Draco's room. When they got there, he was reclining against his headboard and he looked fairly calm.

"Astoria, would you mind checking on Scorpius for me?" Draco asked. Astoria nodded and left to check on the young boy.

She had a gut feeling Draco really only told her to check on him so that he could get her out of the room. There was something odd going on, and it seemed as if he didn't want Astoria to catch on. Astoria was wracking her brain to come up with a logical explanation for Draco's sudden combustion. She knew wizards didn't spontaneously combust in their sleep, so something had to be going on.

She quietly entered Scorpius's room and saw him fast asleep on his bed. She smiled at the sight of his sleeping form before silently closing his door and leaving his room. She walked over to Draco's room and gently rapped on the door. "Come in," he called from inside. She entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"He's fine. I don't think he heard a thing; he's fast asleep," she told him. He nodded, electing not to speak as Libby fussed over him and his injuries. Astoria walked to the right side of Draco's bed and knelt on the floor.

"Do you have any idea what happened?" She asked him.

He glanced quickly at Libby, refusing to meet Astoria's gaze. She looked over at Libby and noticed that the elf had turned pink and would not look up at her master. So, it seemed Libby was involved. Draco stared at his burned side, not answering Astoria for a few moments.

"It was just an accident. I must have accidentally done something in my sleep; you know how unpredictable magic is," he said gruffly, effectively ending the conversation; or so he thought.

"Do you think I'm some incompetent little girl? Do you honestly expect me to believe that? Grown wizards don't just spontaneously combust in their sleep! Maybe when they're awake and lose control, but not when they're asleep! There is something that you aren't telling me, Draco," she said; it was not a question. She saw fear flit across his face, but only for a moment.

"Yes, there is something I need to tell you." Astoria was momentarily relieved that he may actually start trusting her. "We are having guests during the first week in October. Scorpius's birthday is on the second and I would very much like some of my friends and family to meet you." Astoria nearly choked on the air she was breathing; she wasn't expecting that.

"What?" she squeaked out.

"We will be having guests. This is just a forewarning. You will probably know most of my guests in attendance. My parents and some friends from school are the main ones." She felt the breath leave her lungs as she nodded. She got up from her place on the floor and quickly made an escape to her room.

She slammed her door and sunk down onto the hardwood floor beneath her. The panic rose in her chest and threatened to strangle her. All of them, here. She would see them and they would see her, reduced to being nothing but a tutor. She tried to breathe calmly but it was futile. Her anxiety was drowning her, pulling her under. It was but a moment before she blacked out in front of her bedroom door.

"Miss Astoria, wake up! It's time for school and to learn." Her head was pounding in beat with Scorpius's banging on her bedroom door a few hours later.

She groaned and picked her aching body up off of the ground. Her neck and back hurt from sleeping at a bad angle on the ground, and it hurt to move. As soon as the door was clear, it sprung open and a little blonde boy came barreling into her room. He stopped short when he saw Astoria.

"You look bad, like Daddy. Are you sick like Daddy is? Libby says he's sick," Scorpius pointed out turning his head sideways while looking at Astoria. She sort of half-laughed at his honesty.

"I'm fine, Scorpius. Go and wait for me in the library, okay?" He nodded enthusiastically and bolted from the room like a flash of lightning.

Astoria rubbed her temples and sighed. This was going to be a long day. She dragged herself to the bathroom for a quick shower, letting the hot water soothe her sore muscles. After throwing on some clothes, she gathered up the books and parchment for their lesson and hurried to the library.

She smiled when she saw Scorpius anxiously sitting at a table in the library. His small feet were swinging back and forth, his legs too short to touch the ground. When she placed the books on the table, he looked up with excitement in his eyes.

"What are we learning?" he asked eagerly as his eyes traveled over the books and parchment on the table.

"Well, why don't you start of by telling me what you dad has already taught you?" she asked.

"Oh! I know my numbers up to a hundred and my alphabet too," he told her proudly.

"Have you started learning to read or add numbers yet?"

"No," he replied looking down at the table, a little dejected.

"Oh, Scorpius, it's okay. You are very far ahead for a five-year-old. I just needed to find out where to start. Don't feel bad, sweetheart." She squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile. He looked up and the despondent look in his eye had disappeared.

"So, what are we going to do first?"

After Scorpius's quick turnaround in attitude, Astoria started teaching him the different sounds of the letters of the alphabet. She worked with him for a few hours on his reading; the smile on Scorpius's face never faded. He seemed to be soaking the information up like a sponge, and he did not even want to stop and eat lunch.

Pippy brought the teacher and her eager pupil some sandwiches for lunch, and Astoria continued teaching until noon had come and gone. Scorpius picked up the basic math just as quickly as he had picked up the basic reading skills. Astoria decided he should take a break, no matter how much he didn't want to.

"Okay, Scorpius, I think we should head outside for a little while and get some fresh air." Scorpius opened his mouth and tried to protest. "Nuh uh, Scorpius. Your brain needs time to process what you've already learned. I don't want to overload you. You can ride your broom," Astoria offered. His eyes lit up and he agreed without any more fuss.

He raced down the stairs, Astoria trailing behind him, as he made his way outside. He ran to the broom shed and retrieved his beginner broom that only rose a few feet off the ground before Astoria could blink. He hopped on it and was speeding around the garden in no time. Astoria knew that he would be perfectly fine; if he fell off, it would not be too far off of the ground that it was unsafe. She settled into the hammock and watched him fly around the garden with a smile on his face.

About half an hour later, Scorpius landed on the ground with a sleepy look on his face. "It looks like you need a nap, mister Malfoy," Astoria said scooping him up off of the ground as he dropped his broom. She had been waiting for the moment when he would run out of energy.

He immediately fell asleep with his head on her shoulder. Astoria settled down with Scorpius in the hammock, just as they had done a few nights ago. While she was watching him sleep, she thought she saw Draco approaching them from the house. "This is just peachy," she whispered to herself.

When Draco reached them, Astoria was surprised to see that the harsh look he normally had was no longer there. His gaze was locked on the sleeping Scorpius, and Astoria could have sworn she saw the corner of his mouth twitch, like he was about to smile. She looked back at Scorpius for a moment, but then turned her gaze to Draco. She was taken aback when she looked up at Draco and saw his looking at her. She quickly turned her eyes away.

"I'll take him up to his room," Draco said almost brusquely, reaching for his son.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, you had that accident last night and I don't think-"

"I'm fine. Libby fixed me up quite well. Thank you for your concern." Without another word he lifted Scorpius from her arms and headed back to the house.

Astoria flopped back on the hammock and groaned. His hot and cold act was starting to wear her down. She wished he would decide whether or not to be pleasant or a complete arse. That way, she could sleep at night. She settled back into the hammock and tried to let the gentle rocking soothe her bewildered mind.

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**A/N: Draco just keeps getting stranger and stranger... what's the reason? hmmmm. Thanks you to those few loyal reviewers that I have. I really love knowing what you think of the story. More reviews would be lovely though :] **


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

During the two weeks following the accident, things in the house had been odd, to say the least. Astoria continued on with Scorpius's lessons, and he was picking things up very quickly. Draco normally wandered around the house during this time; sometimes he would even sit in the library during Scorpius's lessons.

After two weeks of recovering, Draco deemed it safe to go back to work. Astoria was extremely glad; well, at least she thought she was. Draco was unnerving. Sometimes he was generally kind to her, sometimes he was indifferent, and sometimes he was an evil bastard. Astoria's emotions were being jerked in so many directions that she did not know which way was up anymore.

There was one thing that she still couldn't get out of her head, no matter how mean and indifferent Draco was; the look in his eyes when she was on the hammock with Scorpius. He looked at her so deeply in that moment that she couldn't stand to look back at him.

There was something akin to desperation, relief, and even passion in his eyes all in one glance.

At first she thought it was just a fleeting thing, that he had gotten caught in the moment. Yet, as time went on, she could have sworn that she saw him look at her the same way on countless occasions. The simple fact that she didn't know what the looks meant caused Astoria to stay awake most nights.

The two Malfoy's and Astoria were eating breakfast together before Draco left for work for the day. Scorpius was chattering excitedly about the book that he was going to try to read today while Draco stared glumly at his breakfast. Astoria stayed silent for the most part because she was still trying to decide whether or not to be glad that Draco was leaving.

"I'm going to try and read it all by myself! Isn't that cool, dad?" Scorpius asked before shoving another big bite of toast into his little mouth.

"That's great son," Draco said, stirring his oatmeal slowly. He did have a slight smile on his face, and that seemed to be good enough for Scorpius.

"Do you think I can do it, Miss Astoria?" he asked eagerly. She smiled brightly and grasped his small hand in her own.

"I know you can. You'll do great, I promise." Scorpius smiled back at her. Astoria chanced a quick glance at Draco and had to stifle a gasp. He was looking at her like that again. He noticed that he had been caught and stood from the table abruptly.

"I'll be back later tonight. Have a good day, Scorpius." He kissed his son lightly on the forehead and cautiously turned to Astoria. "Astoria." He acknowledged quietly. On his way out of the kitchen, he briefly settled his hand behind her neck before leaving the room.

Astoria shivered slightly and took a deep breath. "Are you ready for some learning?" Scorpius nodded and bounced up from the table, leading her into the library for their lesson.

Astoria and Scorpius had finished their schooling for the day late in the evening, and they were lying on the floor by the fireplace. "My brain hurts," Scorpius told Astoria while turning over on his side. She laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, hush. Today was not that bad. You did particularly well reading that book, if I do say so myself." He blushed. That was another thing Astoria noticed about Scorpius that was different from Draco; he was a very modest boy when you got through the walls he built up.

"It was still horrible," He said.

"It was not," Astoria replied.

"It was."

"It was not."

"It was!" Astoria moved closer to Scorpius with a grin on her face.

"Say it wasn't before I tickle you into oblivion." He smirked and placed his nose on hers.

"Was." Scorpius let out a loud squeal as Astoria attacked his sides, tickling him. His laughter rang throughout the library and the word "Stop!" could be heard amidst his giggles. When she thought that he deserved a break, she halted her assault on his sides as he tried to catch his breath. There were luminescent smiles on both of their faces, but their moment was interrupted when they heard someone walking around.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Astoria sat bolt upright and Scorpius scrambled to his feet at the sound of voices from the entrance hall.

"Grandma and Grandpa are here!" He ran as fast as his almost six-year-old feet would take him out of the living room. _What?!_ Astoria thought to herself. She had no clue that Lucius and Narcissa were coming early; she thought everyone would be arriving later this week. Astoria's face fell because she did not want to have to deal with them. She had not seen them in many years. She could hear their conversation, and she knew Scorpius was bringing them to her.

"Where's your father, sweetheart?" she heard Narcissa ask.

"He's on business. Duh, Grandma." Astoria smiled at his answer.

"Who is here with you then?" Lucius asked, making Astoria stiffen; this is where she came into the conversation.

"That's where I'm taking you! Come on, come on! Walk faster, she's in here."

"She?" she heard his grandparents ask together. She could just see them exchanging curious glances. Scorpius came running into the room, and they followed soon after. He had a huge smile on his face. When Narcissa entered the room, she let out a gasp and stopped in the doorway. Lucius stopped as well and placed a comforting arm around her waist.

"Miss Astoria, these are my grandparents!" Scorpius announced happily, all the while the adults were just staring at each other, awe-struck. Astoria could see the tears in Narcissa's eyes from across the room, and she could feel tears prickling her eyes as well. Narcissa crossed the room in four quick strides before wrapping her arms around Astoria in her tight embrace.

"I could have sworn that you were your mother," Narcissa whispered into her ear, causing Astoria to sob into her shoulder. She gripped the older woman tightly as Narcissa stroked her raven colored curls gently. In the background, Scorpius was asking Lucius questions.

"Grandpa, why are they crying?" Scorpius asked looking confused. Lucius just looked uncomfortable.

"Because they're happy," Lucius replied, looking a bit skeptical himself.

"But-" Scorpius started.

"Come on. Show me your new room. Let's leave them alone for a bit, son." Lucius quickly ushered his grandson from the room, leaving the two women alone. Astoria heard them leave the room quietly. She then felt Narcissa lead them over to the sofa, but she didn't want to let go of her. Narcissa had been like a second mother to her in her youth, and, seeing as she had no daughters of her own, she was always at the Greengrass household doting on Daphne and Astoria.

She reluctantly stepped out of Narcissa's warm embrace and sat beside her on the couch. She felt Narcissa wipe the tears from her cheeks, and she laid her head on Narcissa's shoulder.

"My dear girl, what have you been up to? We have all been worried sick; I'll let you know that. We all heard about Daphne getting married, of course, but no one seemed to have known where you disappeared to. I was worried when I didn't see you at her wedding." Astoria sniffled quietly and tried to hold back the rest of her tears that were threatening to fall; she had not known that anyone even noticed that she was gone.

"Lucius, Draco, and I tried to find you for a while. I wish he would have told me you were here!" Astoria inwardly scoffed at the notion that Draco was worried about her, but she was so happy to be with Narcissa. She missed having a mother figure.

"I missed you all, so much," Astoria said taking Narcissa's hand in hers as a fresh wave of tears made their way down her face. She was so happy that they were here, but she was already beginning to feel emotionally drained.

"We missed you, too. Don't you think we forgot about you for one moment."

Narcissa's eyes passed over Astoria, and concern flitted across the older woman's face. "You look so tired, dear. And you look thin, has my boy been treating you right?" Astoria laughed quietly and nodded before yawning loudly. "You are exhausted, I can tell. Let's go up to your room and you can sleep."

"No. Can we just stay here for a moment, please?" Astoria looked up at Narcissa longingly. Astoria felt as if she had regressed back 15 years to when she was a child who could not stand to be away from her mother.

"All right. Just lay down for me then. You need some rest." Astoria complied without complaining. She laid her head in Narcissa's lap as she continued to stroke Astoria's hair. She was humming a tune Astoria did not recognize, and she soon drifted into a state somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. She could hear the voices around her, but they seemed as if they were in a dream.

"I'll carry her up to her room," Lucius told Narcissa. She nodded in agreement. Astoria felt something warm lift her off of the sofa, and she snuggled closer to the warmth. She thought she heard a chuckle, but she wasn't sure. "She is so very light, not at all hard to carry. She feels so frail." A warm hand brushed the hair from her face.

"And she looks so tired. What has she been through, Lucius? She looks so like her mother, but, then again, she looks so weary and tired. That life in her eyes that was reminiscent of Evangeline has dimmed so much." Narcissa sounded sad. It made Astoria's heart constrict unpleasantly; she was making them worried.

"We'll talk to her in the morning, love, along with Draco. Pippy said he should be back in a few hours, around midnight. He has some serious explaining to do, especially if he has known where she was for a long time. He knows how concerned you were." Astoria then felt herself being separated from the warmth. She wrapped her arms around whatever it was, gripping firmly. She heard more chuckles before her arms were pried from whatever it was and she was laid on a bed, probably her own. She felt two separate kisses placed on her forehead, and she opened her eyes reluctantly.

"Don't leave," She said, grabbing Narcissa's arm. Narcissa had that teary eyed look on her face again, and she nodded. She glanced at Lucius quickly and he nodded as well, but he didn't look too happy.

"I'll stay with you tonight, and Lucius will kip on your couch. He can't be in a separate room from me; he's spoiled after all of these years." Astoria nodded groggily as Narcissa settled in between the sheets. She felt two warm arms wrap around her comfortingly.

Lucius kissed them both on the forehead before grabbing a blanket and settling down on the couch for the night. "Goodnight, love, don't worry. We will be here in the morning when you wake up," Narcissa told Astoria. Astoria settled down in Narcissa's arms, drifting off into her dreams.

For the first time since Cecelia died, Astoria felt truly happy. Someone was taking care of her, and was actually concerned for her well being. She thanked the gods for Lucius and Narcissa, and floated off to sleep, content with the fact that they loved her and would take care of her.

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**A/N: *gasp* no one saw that coming did they? lol. It's quite possible you did... anyway, sorry I forgot to post yesterday. I was on a mini vacation and I didn't get home until late last night. This is the last finished chapter I have for this story. I am working on it, but I may not get a chapter out every Sunday like normal. Stick around, the best is yet to come! Please review :]**


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